Thursday night we went to a charity poker tournament called Aces Up. It was hosted by Richard Roeper & Chris Zorich (among others). It was a lot of fun and a great opportunity for us to see what it takes to put on a really successful event. We ran a tournament for Orchard Village a few years ago, and I don't know if I've ever worked that hard. A couple of things:
1. It was in the city, NOT Schaumburg.
2. They stressed again and again that it was for a great charity. People at our event were there for the prize. Period.
3. Casino sponsorship. Volunteer dealers who are not taught the game in a spontaneous 2 hour drill on my birthday. :)
4. They had celebrities with bounties. My theory - if I don't know you, you're not famous. I let it go that night.
5. Free booze. That makes most people happy, really.
All in all, it was a very fun night. It's just a completely different game in that kind of situation. For example, the point of betting is to win the pot by making someone else lay down their hand. This is hard for novice players (I know I sound obnoxious) to understand. They keep thinking 'this next card will be AWESOME!" so they play cards they really shouldn't. But again, it's for charity. But those are the arguments used by people (lawmakers) to say it is strictly a game of chance. No skill involved. Lots of people have said it before, but there's a reason the same people win the big tournaments (professional) every year. Luck plays a part, absolutely. But at heart, poker is a game of skill.
So that's my unexpected rant. Who's ready to go to work??
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